The present invention relates to skateboards and surfboards and more particularly to a skateboard and a surfboard on which the rider may sit.
A sitting skateboard is a recreational vehicle which provides the excitement of coasting on a vehicle which may be steered only by shifting the rider's weight while permitting the additional comfort and control available when the rider is in a sitting position. Sitting skateboards are particularly desirable for the very young, inexperienced, or less coordinated rider or for an adult rider carrying a youthful passenger and who is particularly concerned about safety and control. There is therefore a particular need for control and safety features in sitting skateboards. However, prior sitting skateboards are lacking in this respect. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,039,784 issued to Davis (1962) discloses a seat coaster which includes a conventional roller skate supporting a frame in which the seat portion of the frame is substantially only as wide as the rider so that the rider has no place to hold onto the vehicle with his hands and may steer only by shifting his body weight to one side or the other with his hands free. U.S. Pat. No. 1,327,123 issued to Thomas (1920) discloses a coaster comprising two wheels respectively symmetrically mounted beneath the front and rear ends of a frame. Again, the frame is a single narrow platform of width approximately that of the rider and therefore provides the rider with support and control problems similar to those of the Davis coaster.
Surfboards are steered in a manner substantially the same as conventional standing skateboards. The rider stands on an elongated platform and steers by leaning to one side or the other. A sitting surfboard would have the same advantages of safety and control to the very young, inexperienced or less coordinated rider as does the sitting skateboard.